The Cleveland Cavaliers are 18-14 so far this season. In their next game, they will face the Toronto Raptors on Monday, January 1st, 2024 (7:40 PM ET). The Raptors will look a lot different in the game as they were a part of a trade over the weekend. Toronto is favored in the game at -2.0 (bet365), a game that Toronto will host. At first glance, the spread does look a little too favorable for the Raptors. In the final analysis, my Cavaliers vs Raptors prediction steers clear of the main markets and focuses on a player prop.
NBA Game Preview at a Glance
Away: Cleveland Cavaliers
Home: Toronto Raptors
Game time: Monday, January 1st, 2024 @ 7:40 PM ET
Cavaliers vs Raptors odds (home team’s spread): -2.0 (bet365)
Cleveland vs Toronto Prediction: Latest NBA Headlines
Cleveland does not enter this game as a hot team. They have been up and down in recent weeks. The team has gone just 5-5 in their last ten games, with losses to some strong teams and wins over middle-powers or weak teams. If you were to do a power ranking of the Cavaliers over the short term, they would probably score a little below average.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Recent Form Alert
Formerly: 13 – 9 heading into December 11th, 2023
Currently: 18 – 14 (overall)
Recent form: 5 – 5 since December 11th, 2023
Recent winning rate: .500
Cleveland Cavaliers injuries: recent news
But the team does enter Monday in pretty good shape. Darius Garland remains out with some kind of update expected this month. But their depth chart is otherwise clear at the front end. We should see a half-decent version of this team on Monday, a team that has not played since Friday.
Double-check for playing status updates with Cleveland (02:32 ET time of writing):: Team’s Depth Chart
The Raptors enter the game having lost their last one, a result that could go down in franchise infamy. The Raptors were the team that finally yielded a win to the Detroit Pistons, a team that had otherwise lost 28 straight games.
The Raptors have not been a strong team of late and it’s not clear which direction the team is going to go. They did offload O.G. Anunoby to the Knicks and have two backcourt players instead. But this Toronto team went from 8-8 to 12-20. They can still turn things around but it’s not clear what direction they will head. Yes, they did address some problems but losing Anunoby can’t be ignored.
Toronto Raptors injuries: recent news
Toronto’s depth chart is clear of injuries heading into Monday. As for how the team looks with their new players, ESPN has both Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett in starting roles as the SG and SF respectively. The guy who loses in all this could be Dennis Schroder, the team’s 30-year-old point guard. He will likely have less playing time going forward and should be avoided as a fantasy player accordingly.
Double-check status updates Toronto (02:32 ET time of writing):: Team’s Depth Chart
Cavaliers vs Raptors Prediction: Betting Tips
I think this is a game that you stay away from for popular markets. You would have to have an opinion on Toronto’s chemistry to make a bet in this game. That’s something that will be hard to assess without some results to look at first.
You could bet against Toronto, hoping that they will remain a poor team. But that would be betting on Cleveland in that case, a team that has been playing mediocre at best for the last little while.
I think this game calls for a bet on Jarrett Allen, Cleveland’s center. The Raptors did get a little smaller and they traded away their backup center. For a starting center, Toronto only has Jakob Poetl, a seven-footer who is not overly dominant. With Precious Achiuwa gone, Chris Boucher should get more playing time.
I think Allen will have a good rebounding game on Monday. My recommendation is to take him for OVER 11.5 boards at -105 (bet365).
Additional reading: Look ahead to NFL Week 17!
